SEATTLE - The women's track and field distance medley relay team has been named the GoHuskies.com Student-Athletes of the Week for the week of March 5-11, 2012.

Washington's distance medley relay made history with the first NCAA Indoor Championship in the history of the UW women's program. Chelsea Orr, Jordan Carlson, Baylee Mires, and Katie Flood ran to the national title at Jacksons Track on day one of the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, with Flood bringing home the win with a scintillating final lap.

While the UW men's program has won nine NCAA Indoor titles in its history, this is the first ever for the women. It is the first NCAA title in a running event for Washington since Ryan Brown won the 800-meter title indoors in 2007, and the first for the Husky women on the track since Amy Lia won the 1,500-meter title outdoors in 2006. It is also the first NCAA title in a relay event of any sort for Washington since men's mile relay in 1975.

The Huskies came into the race with the top time in the field, after running a school record 10:55.01 two weeks ago to win the MPSF Championship. The race on the banked track was not as quick, and the pace slowed considerably at the start of the final 1,600-meter leg. That let Flood (Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling Catholic) get up into the lead pack after she took the baton in eighth.

Flood moved up to third with three laps to go, and went into the final lap in second place behind Georgetown. Flood moved into the lead on the penultimate turn and continued accelerating, not allowing any hope for the teams behind her. She pulled away for a win by five meters, stopping the clock in 11:05.20. Flood's final split of 4:34.02 for 1,600-meters was easily the fastest in the field.

Orr, the sophomore from Sammamish and an Eastlake High School grad, led off for UW on the 1,200-meter leg. She clocked 3:27.48 to put the Huskies in eighth-place about four seconds back. Carlson, a Spokane native and Shadle Park product, then made up some ground on the 400-meter leg, especially over the last 100-meters. She split 54.16 and put the Huskies in sixth on the next hand-off.

Another Spokane native, freshman Baylee Mires of Mead, carried for 800-meters at her first NCAA Championships. She ran 2:09.55 and handed to Flood in eighth-place but still very much in contact.